Key specifications:

Note: This video actually shows a different Black&Decker trimmer – we have put it here just to show what can you expect from a machine of this type.

Cordless

The NST1118 shares all the advantages of cordless weed whackers – complete freedom of movement, no messing with the cord (and winding it up after trimming) or switching outlets. Also no maintenance, noise or vibrations typical for gas trimmers.

It is very light (and the balance is also fairly good), easy to assemble and use.

Power and line feeding

It is one of the older battery powered trimmers designed for light trimming and cleanup jobs – so don’t expect the power of modern 40V units or even brushless or gas machines. It’s ideal for smaller yards when you just need to clear areas not accessible by a mower – around trees, fences or walls. It doesn’t have enough power to cut through thick grass, brush or tough weeds.

An autofeed is used to advance the line, so you won’t have to do any bumping – several users report problems (that it either feeds too much or not at all), but most of them are pleased with the system.

Battery

The NST1118 uses 18V NiCd battery which presents several disadvantages if you compare it to the newer 36 or 40V lithium-ion pieces. The running time is lower (15-20 minutes per battery) and the recharge takes about 9 hours – so you may need a spare battery even for a smaller yard.

Also, there’s the memory effect which slightly reduces the running time as the battery gets older, if not recharged properly (read more in the FAQ section below).

On the other hand, they are also a lot cheaper – you can get two of them for the price of one 40V. Also, if you have some other tools from the Black and Decker’s 18V lineup, you probably already have some spare batteries.

Edger and adjustments

It’s rather a standard for cordless string trimmers to be equipped with an edger adjustment and this machine is no exception. The shaft can be easily rotated to enable edging tasks and a little metal guide is also present.

This tool doesn’t offer many adjustment, but a nice plus is that the shaft is telescopic so you can set its length to match your height – it’s pretty okay even for 6′ tall, but you would probably have to bend over if you are taller than that.

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Brands:

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